Community Brag Posts

Went to a local farmer, who had a barn falling down and asked if I could get some wood. He allowed me to take a few pieces and turned it into a corner cabinet for my wifeWent to a local farmer, who had a barn falling down and asked if I could get some wood. He allowed me to take a few pieces and turned it into a corner cabinet for my wife

I altered the plans to the full-sized slipper chair so that I can document my upholstering process. SUPER easy, SUPER cute build (and my daughter loves it, so even if it weren't easy, it'd have been worth it :-))

I made this table and bench for my wife, for Christmas. She loves it.

Loved the project.  i'd been away from woodworking a while and this sure got me started again.  My husband was so impressed he fixed me a place in his shop and bought me some new equipment. It took me several days over weekends and after work, and i tried my hand at distressing and was pleased with the results. Thanks for the directions, they were great!

Pam Barlow

From watching Olympic gymnast Simone Biles on the television to running, flipping and twirling all around our living room — my girls LOVE everything gymnastics. Both girls began competing with a local gymnastics club. Now that my oldest has moved up and is pretty serious about practicing her beam handstands and dismounts, she begged me to build a raised balance beam with suede covering so it would have a similar feel to her beam at the gym.

If you can relate to this, or even if you have a new gymnast (like my youngest in the pic above) wanting to improve their skills at home, then this comprehensive tutorial on how to build a raised balance beam is for you.

Full plans available on my blog The Creative 'Carr'penter. You can also find and pin this tutorial on Pinterest here.

Our "home made" bed. We made this bed from discarded cedar posts found on the property. Three of the main bed posts were the original entry gate posts at The Bed Rox and the one closest in the foreground used to stand where the cabin stands now.

This is our third project. We needed a table set in the living room since our IKEA coffee table did not survive the move to TX. My husband and I fell in love with the rustic X collection and decided to start with the coffee table first. Everything was quite straight forward until cutting the 2x2 for the X. Well, without much wood-working experience, I made a rookie mistake of cutting them to length before cutting the angles. Eventually, we came up inches short on the 2x2 bars to make a complete X. We had to re-measure and re-cut all the angled bars. But we made it! At first, my husband got frustrated and wanted to leave the X's out and let the table be open on all four sides. But since we are trying to build a whole collection (end tables next, and then console able), I really wanted the X's to make them cohesive. So we survived the taunting tasks and have learned from the experience. We cut the 2x2 a little long and then mark them against the frame before we cut. The original measurements from the plan did not really match up to our frame so we decided to mark and fine-adjust. It worked out well. There was a slight "rainbow curve" in the middle plank of the table top. We decided to use a heavy duty 2 1/2 PH screw on the sides to suck it in, to try to make it level. It worked out well too! At the end, we sanded all the corners and tops really well because I wanted an even top. It is a very nice size coffee table and heavy and sturdy. And we are both extremely happy with the final product.

I couldn't find a wrapping paper holder, so I thought I would take a shot at it myself. So, using Ana's advice on the Kreg jig, and some leftovers from her headboard project, I had 4 - 1x4's (42" each) I "Kreged" (and glued) together. Making a giant frame. Then I used a 1" paddle drill bit to put holes 3 1/2" apart all they way down the right side (about 1/2 way through the board). Next, I used a 1x2 and drilled holes all the way down and all the way through (matching the height of the ones on the other side). Then I used a scroll saw to cut out the extra little piece on the 1x2 and make the slots for the pole to enter. And sanded and attached to the left side. I added a 1x2 at the top and bottom, all the way across the inside back to mount. I had some leftover pvc I cut to fit and then decided to buy aluminum conduit pipe from the electrical dept. (It's only 2$ for a 10' piece) then I cut it with a hacksaw and smoothed the sharp edges with a file. Perfect. Stronger than the pvc and nicer looking.

Since this desk was going against a wall I turned one of the bookcases so it would be accessible. I also added a 1x2 border around the top just to give it a nice finish.  I stenciled the top and added a white stain and poly over it to add a little flair.  Thank you Ana for the easy to follow directions!

This little nightstand holds tons of stuff.

We adopted two puppies: Blueberry and Pink, and needed a dog house. I showed my bf the post of the East Fork Dog House on this website for inspiration. He winged the basic construction as he's a carpenter guy. Our foster children helped paint it, and the puppies love it (chewed the corners of it already).

Made this table starting with Rustic X coffee table plans and made slight modifcations.

This is built to the plans although I ended up changing the bracing underneath the table top to make it a little stronger as the wood I used was not super dry and wanted to bend.

This is Ana's king sized farmhouse bed with an arch. This turned out great and is super strong...much better than most store bought pieces. The "king" cat thinks its pretty cool too.

We made these last year, and managed to find cushions at walmart- but I never loved them. This year I painted the pieces black, added an extra horizontal slat in the backs, and recovered the walmart cushions and added some from ikea.

This is a fantastic place to check my email in the morning and read in the afternoon.

Thanks!

Used the Providence Bench plans to create this little piece. My wife loves the simplicity and also the sturdiness of the build with the 2x4’s utilized in various dimensional orientations. Simple build- used Kreg Jig and Miter Compound.